The 16th round of inter-Korean ministerial talks opened a general session on Wednesday, the second day of the high-level dialogue.

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said in a keynote speech that an inter-Korean agreement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should be honored under any circumstances.

Chung, the leader of the southern delegation, urged the North to be active in the ongoing meeting so as to generate a joint statement.

An official close to the talks said the government wants to parlay the current openness in cross-border dialogue into support for resolving the North's nuclear impasse and securing agreement at the six-party talks.

The southern delegation also proposed ten points of discussion for the talks' agenda, including an early opening of general-grade military talks and identifying the fate of POWs and abductees in the North.

Starting in the afternoon, the two sides are expected to finetune differences in opinions through contacts between chief delegates and other delegates.